Kentucky, Missouri, and New Hampshire are now under unified Republican control and are set on passing right-to-work laws, which lessens union power by allowing workers in unionized workplaces to withhold union fees that unions use to organize and advocate on their behalf. And with a Trump presidency and a Republican-controlled Congress, there is a real danger of passage of a federal right-to-work law.

And union popularity is up. A 2015 Gallup Poll found 6 of 10 approve of labor unions, up from 48 percent in 2009. Yet 71 percent of those polled support right-to-work laws. It would seem that many Americans just don’t like being forced to join an organization against their will, even if they support the organization itself. Unions have work to do on changing this perception of right-to-work laws.